The Buoys

My mom and I went for a walk on the beach a few days ago. There recently has been a huge dredging project on Lido beach (please check out http://www.oceanpreservers.org/2015/01/dredging.html for more information). That day we waled down south from where we normally walk. On this walk we found many broken pieces of sand dollar that have recently been killed by the dredging process, lots of trash, and the two huge buoys and cable shown in the picture. We dragged it back to one of the condos which was not gated in so we could drive over to remove it (it weighed a lot). After the back aching work, we drove over and removed it. We plan on recycling the cable and possibly reusing the buoys. The hardware alone weighed eight pounds and my dad removed the rust and it looks almost new. We will also try to reuse the hardware.

Chestnut Turban

The chestnut turban (Turbo castanea) are a species of mollusk in the gastropod class. Their colour ranges from brown-tan, to white and ginger stripes, to swirled shades of brown. On some of the specimens pictured, the outer layer of shell has broken off, reveling the pearly white inner shell. They are very important grazers of algae.

Sunray Venus Clam

The sunray venus clam (Macrocallista nimbus), is given its common name for the patterns on its shell. They are often found off of Florida's coast. Their colours vary from dark brown, to light tan on the outside, while the inside of their shells are white. They can get to be six inches long.

Lesser Butterfly Ray

The lesser butterfly ray (Gymnura micrura) also sometimes known as smooth butterfly rays. They have no venomous barb. Some of their prey includes fish, crustaceans, and bivalves. Their dorsal side varies in colour from grey, to brown, to almost greenish. They prefer sandy environments and are often found in estuaries, bays, and off beaches.

Pinfish

Juvenile Pinfish near Jetty

Lagodon rhomboides, or more commonly known as the pinfish, is a species of fish in the family Sparidae, along with the breams and porgies. It is the only member in its genus that is known. Pinfish rarely swim in schools. Adults can reach 4.5" in length. The adult pinfish live in deeper waters of 30'-50', while juveniles prefer shallower waters around pilings, jetties, and seagrass beds. Their range includes Bermuda, and down the United States Coast from Massachusetts, down to the Mexican Gulf Coast.

Turkey Wing

The turkey wing clams (Arca zebra), are also called zebra arks because their reddish brown stripes resemble zebra stripes. Turkey wings live attached to rocks. They have a gap at either side of their shells which allows them to attach themselves to the rocks with their byssal threads. They can grow up to be four inches across. Their range is from North Carolina, down to the West Indies.

Common Snook

Common snook off Lido

Common snook off Lido

Common snook off Lido

 The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis), is a species of snook common to Florida. Their lateral lines are very distinct and their lower jaw protrudes farther than their upper jaw. The common snook can reach lengths of up to four feet. There are five currently known species of snook in Florida waters, the common snook, the tarpon snook, the small scaled fat tarpon, the swordspine snook, and the large scaled fat snook. The tarpon snook has big eyes and dark tips on their anal fins. The swordspine snook is said to be shinier than the other species, and it's anal fin spike can sometimes reach it's tail. Scaled fat snooks have a broader body shape than

 other snooks. The large scaled fat snook is a more recently discovered species. Snook are usually thought of as a game fish, but there is so much more to snook than just being on the end of a line. Mote Marine Laboratory is doing a lot of research on the common snook, and are raising snook to restore native populations.



A Sad Trip To Lido

Brown Pelican

Green Sea Turtle

 Last week, my mom and I walked on the beach after I was done volunteering at Save Our Seabirds. What we saw was very upsetting. First we found a dead brown pelican. Someone had put a cigar into its bill. I removed the cigar from its bill and adding it to the trash I was removing from the beach. We continued walking and in the distance, we saw some people taking something out of the water. We were pretty far away so I could not tell what it was right away, it looked a little like a sea turtle. I walked over and we saw that they pulled a dead sea turtle out of the water and were reporting it to Mote. It had several fibropapilloma tumors on it which could have caused its death. Another sad thing that was on  the beach was the amount of trash that lined the shore. I must have picked up a hundred plastic bottle caps plus lots of other trash like an old battery. The reason why I am starting my beach clean-up project is to remove the trash on the beach before it gets eaten by animals and pollutes the ocean. I also hope to educate people about the threats that debris has on not just our coastline, but on the ocean and the animals that live in it.

Trash That We Picked Up

Sarasota Ocean Preservers

I recently got a grant to start my own beach cleanup. It is called Sarasota Ocean Preservers. I will probably start the program in March. Right now, I am working on a logo, and I am going to work on a website shortly. My logo will either have a devil ray, a green sea turtle, or a spotted eagle ray.
Update: I have had my cleanup program for over a year and have expanded to snorkel cleanups and I plan to start kayak cleanups as well. http://www.oceanpreservers.org/ is the address to the main website.

Yellow Stingray

The yellow stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis), is also sometimes called the yellow spotted stingray. Their range stretches out from North Carolina, to Northern South America. They have an interesting feeding technique. They will lift their front half up so they resemble a cave, then their prey goes right to them thinking that the stingray is a cave.

Mote Intern Camping Trip

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin with Calf

Bottlenose Dolphin

Gopher Tortoise

Last weekend, I and eight other interns from the Mote went camping. We went on a dolphin boat and we got to help identify dolphins. We also went to Rookery Bay and to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. We saw lots of animals, including a huge alligator and a friendly praying mantis.

Bottlenose Dolphins

Bottlenose Dolphin

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Frigate Birds

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Snorkling Pictures

Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis)

Sergeant Major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

Stone Crab (Menippe mercenaria)

A couple of weeks ago, I went snorkeling for the first time off a jetty on Lido. I saw lots of marine animals. These are a few of the better pictures that I took that day.
(you can click on the photos to enlarge.)

Sergeant Major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis)

Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)

Scaled Sardine (Harengula jaguana)

Lesser Butterfly Ray (Gymnura micrura)

Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides)

Spongy Decorator Crab

The spongy decorator crab (Marcocoeloma trispinosum), is a species of decorator crab. They will put sponges, corals, and other things on themselves to camouflage. The one in the picture has covered himself with mushroom polyps. They stick the camouflage of choice on themselves like Velcro. They have little hook life hairs on their body which helps attach things to them. They will even change what they have on them depending on what is in their environment.

Strate Bubbles

Strate bubbles (Bulla striata) are also called common Atlantic bubbles. Bubbles are gastropods. Bubbles are related to sea hares and nudibranchs. When there foot and mantle are extended, they can completely cover their shell. Unlike most gastropods, they don't have eye stalks; instead their eyes are directly on their head.

Airport Art Contest

Recently, I have been working on a picture for the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport art contest. I have my picture finished, but I could use some ideas on the background. If you have any ideas, please leave a comment on this post. Thanks!
Update- I have sent in my picture with a background. I decided on Blue with green streaks going left to right.

Stingrays, Stingrays, and More Stingrays!

Stingray Under The Sand

 Recently at Lido, there have been a lot of stingrays in the water. They're usually Atlantic stingrays, but we have also seen devil rays again in the water. The first stingray picture is covered with sand which makes it hard to identify. There has also been lots of fish washing up on shore. The ones that I have seen include: lots of cowfish, a grouper, a butterfly ray, and a toadfish. They have been becoming stranded more frequently than usual, probably because of all the recent storms.

Two Atlantic Stingrays

Cownose Ray

The cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) is a species of ray. It gets it's name from the shape of it's head because it looks like a cow's nose. To find their prey, they will either flap there fins to stir up the sand, or they will move the sand around with their snouts. Once they have located there prey, they will rapidly flap their fins to reveal their prey. Cownose rays will migrate by the thousands from the Gulf of Mexico, and up the east side of the U.S.. Their natural predators include cobia and sharks. They are not commercially fished by people. However, the Virginia Sea Grant at VIMS is trying to persuade people to start eating cownose rays because a main part of their diet is oysters. But since cownose rays usually only have one pup at a time, it could cause a decrease in the population like the thylacines did. Cownose rays are commonly kept in touch tanks in aquariums. I don't think that I have ever been to a stingray touch tank where they did not have cownose rays.

Mandarin Dragonet

The mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus), is a tropical from the family Callionymidae. Mandarin dragonets go by many different names including mandarin goby and mandarin fish. They usually live in small groups in the wild. Mandarin dragonets produce a thick mucus that covers them and is toxic to whatever might try to eat it. Mandarin dragonets will dull in color when they are going to rest at night. Mandarin dragonets are popular in marine pet stores, despite the fact that they are difficult to feed because they eat amphipods and other small invertebrates.